Ethnography as a tool to understand consumer behavior

Abstract

This article is a theoretical approach regarding the suitability of the ethnographic method, which allows us to observe and describe the different aspects of a culture, community or people from the anthropological perspective, to understand the individual specifically in their consumption decisions and therefore from the perspective of the discipline of marketing.

Thus, from a conceptual analysis and the tools that the method provides, it seeks to argue the infinite possibilities that are presented to marketing professionals in their search for information that allows them to know the best possible target segment to serve, and thus, reduce the possible discrepancy between the benefits and attributes that the product provides and those that the market needs.

In the same sense, it is clear that the members of a certain target segment respond in a similar way to a certain marketing mix, so that their consumption behavior can be affected or influenced by social and cultural variables that are transversal to them, and from that instance, ethnography can provide valuable information for the construction of successful value propositions and better business decision making.